The government's budget problem is not just the government's problem - it's everyone's problem. And it's affecting businesses and taxpayers across the country.

Because of a culture of overspending that became the norm and unbalanced budgets that have left us with a national debt spiraling out of control, we are now facing haphazard cuts to every federal program - except the biggest ones that are the real drivers of our long-term debt. Put in place assuming it would never come to fruition, sequestration is now a reality.

I absolutely agree that spending cuts are needed, but I question the wisdom of across-the-board cuts. We're not only reducing spending for the programs that should be cut; we're also penalizing successful programs.

And, while the military should not be immune from any reductions, the Defense Department stands to face the brunt of the cuts, including some that could affect the readiness of our armed forces, as well as potential furloughs, layoffs and reduced benefits for civilian and military personnel.

In Wisconsin alone, we're looking at $12.4 million in reduced pay to civilian military employees through unpaid furloughs and Army base funding cuts of about $1 million.

The full economic impact of sequestration will most likely not be realized for another month or two as agencies and programs take the steps necessary to cut costs, but consumer confidence has already suffered by the uncertainty. Businesses are already preparing for cancelled contracts and a more limited government market. But as one Wisconsin business owner recently told me, "we (the business community) face sequestrations all the time, and it's called a poor quarter. So we react appropriately and make the necessary changes."

The president says he wants to avert the cuts and blames Congress for allowing the automatic sequester to take place - even though it was his idea in the first place. I'm open to replacing the cuts with long-term solutions that will actually reduce spending over time, but I don't believe that the president's proposals for higher taxes will fix the problem, especially since taxes were already raised in January. Nor do I believe another temporary fix or delay will do anything to help out the overall budget situation; it would just prolong the uncertainty even longer.

If we want to be honest about the fiscal situation and budget outlook of the federal government, we're going to have to do better than across-the-board cuts that mostly focus on just 35 percent of our total spending. Bigger, bolder solutions are needed.

House Republicans have already passed two budget resolutions with our ideas for long-term fiscal responsibility. And the House also passed legislation to replace the sequester cuts with targeted cuts to mandatory spending, with no follow up from the Senate or the White House except speeches about raising taxes again.

The central problem here is not sequestration, but the rising costs of mandatory spending that threaten budget instability. The House stands ready to work with the president and the Senate on long-term plans for federal spending and making needed reforms. We owe it to future generations to generate real solutions.